I have an old Maytag A106 washer which has been slowly leaking trasmission oil for years and now has a seized power unit. To replace the transmission you need to remove the agitator and then the tub. The trasmission comes out next through the top. These machines were very well designed and for servicibility as well so I really want to hold on to this one. I have another transmission which I scrounged from a willing organ donor years ago. It has been sitting in my basement just in case this one ever failed. The job is lengthy but not that difficult. The agitator fits down onto the top protruding spline of the power unit and it is supposed to just pull straight off, but it is really stuck. Of course after 45 years this doesn't surpise me. The service manual mentions to use a puller if the agitator is stuck and the book shows a picture of this tool. It looks sort of like an oversized wheel puller. There are what looks like two flat hooks on extension arms that hook under two spots on the perimeter of the agitator. Then I'm guessing that you must have to place a 2.0 X 4.0 across the top of the machine and crank the long threaded screw down on to it until hopefully the agitator pops up. Of course we have no such tool, so I rigged up two sets of ropes with each end tied to a
1/2 inch EMT clamp, all four of which I've bent into tighter hooks to fit and stay under the agitator edges in four places. My theory is that if I place a 2.0 X 4.0 across the top and use another one placed perpendicular with the ropes tied to it I can attain the same mechanical advantage this time pulling up in four places and again hopefully pop the agitator up. The agitator is bakelite and presently in good condition and of course I'm concerned about breaking it during this process too. But I don't see any other way out of this. I believe that this may be a very early A106. Is anyone familiar with these old Maytags that can comment on this problem? Also does anyone know if this NG isn't, if there might perhaps be a more suitable NG to post this problem to? My wife is starting to flip out. Thanks very much. Lenny Stein- posted
20 years ago